The American fundamentalist group,
The Family, has to make an important
strategic choice. It can have its influential
National Prayer Breakfast each
February in Washington, or it can have
its Anti-Homosexuality Bill become law
in Uganda. It likely cannot have both.
It would be naïve for this secretive and
powerful organization to believe that it
can turn Uganda into a concentration
camp for gay and lesbian people without
transforming its signature affair into a
symbol of such oppression. It would be
madness for The Family to think it can
sell the loving Higher Path Jesus at their
breakfast, while unleashing its anti-gay
Psychopath Jesus in Kampala.
If The Family does not kill the Anti-
Homosexuality Bill before it becomes
law, the cruel piece of legislation will
end up killing The Family, by stripping
it of its moral authority and tying its
members to genocide. What respectable
politician would want to attend an event
marred by protests and hosted by
human rights abusers?
Last year, a prominent member of The
Family, David Bahati, wrote and introduced
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill in
Uganda’s Parliament. In Jeff
Sharlet’s latest book, “C
Street: The Fundamentalist
Threat to American
Democracy,” the bill’s author
said he believes that homosexuality
is worse than murder
and calls it “a threat to our
existence.”
Aside from persecuting
LGBT people and snuffing out
their right to exist, the bill
punishes anyone who offers
support or friendship. Some
of its provisions: Three years
in prison for failure to report
a gay person to authorities
within 24-hours of disclosure;
seven years in prison for “promotion,”
which includes
activism or simply acknowledging
that homosexuality
exists; life imprisonment for
one homosexual act; and the
death penalty for “aggravated
homosexuality” (which
includes sex while HIV-positive,
sex with a disabled person,
or sex more than once,
marking the person as a “serial
offender”).
The Anti-Homosexuality
Bill was put on the backburner
last year after the National
Prayer Breakfast was protested.
The efforts to shine a light
on The Family’s activities led
to President Barack Obama
and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton condemning the bill
at the event.
Unfortunately, Bahati has revived the
bill, claiming it will pass and “close the
door to homosex.” Two weeks ago he
made a trip to the United States to
furtively rally support for his efforts.
The Ugandan legislator says that he has
strong support in America, but his
prominent evangelical friends are afraid
to publicly back him, because they fear
reprisals.
Indeed, Bahati believes he is vindicating
his American friends who have lost
the culture war against LGBT equality.
The grand
plan is for
Uganda to be
used as a
proxy in a
global war
against homos
e x u a l i t y.
Once the bill
passes in
Uganda, the
hope is to
spread copycat bills throughout Africa.
These conservative African nations can
then be used as vivid examples to
Western countries of how to re-stigmatize
homosexuality. Of course, the larger
utopian fantasy is to use homosexuality
as a wedge issue to establish theocracies
across the planet.
We should take this effort very seriously
and make it clear to The Family
that there will be consequences for such
bloodlust. A few of the options include:
working to have Congress cut off all foreign
aid to Uganda; large demonstrations
at The National Prayer Breakfast;
denying Ugandan officials visas to
America; denying prominent members
of The Family visas to Uganda; stripping
David Bahati of his degrees at the
University of Cardiff and the University
of Pennsylvania; exploring efforts to
prosecute Bahati, and others affiliated
with this bill, for crimes against humanity;
and a media campaign exposing The
Family.
Bahati justifies his planned purge by
disguising it as a morality campaign to
protect Ugandan children from predatory
Western gay men. However, he has
put forth no credible evidence to back
his bizarre assertions, and all available
information points to an eliminationist
witch-hunt against innocent people.
Bahati also rationalizes his cruelty by
saying that Ugandans support his bill.
Of course, the bill’s popularity and the
demonization of LGBT people are only
maintained through artificial
means. To tar homosexuals
as despised villains,
Bahati and his
goons have to create a
repressive culture where
free speech is stifled,
LGBT people can’t come
out, pro-gay allies are punished
for “promoting”
homosexuality, the media
is cowed, and a robust
smear campaign is relentlessly
waged with no opposition.
Incredibly, Bahati plays
the imperialist card, arguing
Americans should stay
out of his nation’s business,
even as he hypocritically
does the bidding for
American evangelicals
that made his career.
In the name of God,
these thugs and theocrats
are playing God with the
lives of LGBT people
across the globe. The only
Family these tyrants
remind me of is The
Sopranos – except they are
more sadistic. It is time
civilized people stand up
to such Bible-based barbarism
before it is too late.
A good place to start is at
The National Prayer
Breakfast.
For more information,
visit
www.truthwinsout.orgThe American fundamentalist group, The Family, has to make an important strategic choice. It can have its influential National Prayer Breakfast each February in Washington, or it can have its Anti-Homosexuality Bill become law in Uganda. It likely cannot have both. It would be naïve for this secretive and powerful organization to believe that it can turn Uganda into a concentration camp for gay and lesbian people without transforming its signature affair into a symbol of such oppression. It would be madness for The Family to think it can sell the loving Higher Path Jesus at their breakfast, while unleashing its anti-gay Psychopath Jesus in Kampala. If The Family does not kill the Anti- Homosexuality Bill before it becomes law, the cruel piece of legislation will end up killing The Family, by stripping it of its moral authority and tying its members to genocide. What respectable politician would want to attend an event marred by protests and hosted by human rights abusers? Last year, a prominent member of The Family, David Bahati, wrote and introduced The Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda’s Parliament. In Jeff Sharlet’s latest book, “C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy,” the bill’s author said he believes that homosexuality is worse than murder and calls it “a threat to our existence.” Aside from persecuting LGBT people and snuffing out their right to exist, the bill punishes anyone who offers support or friendship. Some of its provisions: Three years in prison for failure to report a gay person to authorities within 24-hours of disclosure; seven years in prison for “promotion,” which includes activism or simply acknowledging that homosexuality exists; life imprisonment for one homosexual act; and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” (which includes sex while HIV-positive, sex with a disabled person, or sex more than once, marking the person as a “serial offender”). The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was put on the backburner last year after the National Prayer Breakfast was protested. The efforts to shine a light on The Family’s activities led to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the bill at the event. Unfortunately, Bahati has revived the bill, claiming it will pass and “close the door to homosex.” Two weeks ago he made a trip to the United States to furtively rally support for his efforts. The Ugandan legislator says that he has strong support in America, but his prominent evangelical friends are afraid to publicly back him, because they fear reprisals. Indeed, Bahati believes he is vindicating his American friends who have lost the culture war against LGBT equality. The grand plan is for Uganda to be used as a proxy in a global war against homos e x u a l i t y. Once the bill passes in Uganda, the hope is to spread copycat bills throughout Africa. These conservative African nations can then be used as vivid examples to Western countries of how to re-stigmatize homosexuality. Of course, the larger utopian fantasy is to use homosexuality as a wedge issue to establish theocracies across the planet. We should take this effort very seriously and make it clear to The Family that there will be consequences for such bloodlust. A few of the options include: working to have Congress cut off all foreign aid to Uganda; large demonstrations at The National Prayer Breakfast; denying Ugandan officials visas to America; denying prominent members of The Family visas to Uganda; stripping David Bahati of his degrees at the University of Cardiff and the University of Pennsylvania; exploring efforts to prosecute Bahati, and others affiliated with this bill, for crimes against humanity; and a media campaign exposing The Family. Bahati justifies his planned purge by disguising it as a morality campaign to protect Ugandan children from predatory Western gay men. However, he has put forth no credible evidence to back his bizarre assertions, and all available information points to an eliminationist witch-hunt against innocent people. Bahati also rationalizes his cruelty by saying that Ugandans support his bill. Of course, the bill’s popularity and the demonization of LGBT people are only maintained through artificial means. To tar homosexuals as despised villains, Bahati and his goons have to create a repressive culture where free speech is stifled, LGBT people can’t come out, pro-gay allies are punished for “promoting” homosexuality, the media is cowed, and a robust smear campaign is relentlessly waged with no opposition. Incredibly, Bahati plays the imperialist card, arguing Americans should stay out of his nation’s business, even as he hypocritically does the bidding for American evangelicals that made his career. In the name of God, these thugs and theocrats are playing God with the lives of LGBT people across the globe. The only Family these tyrants remind me of is The Sopranos – except they are more sadistic. It is time civilized people stand up to such Bible-based barbarism before it is too late. A good place to start is at The National Prayer Breakfast. For more information, visit www.truthwinsout.orgThe American fundamentalist group, The Family, has to make an important strategic choice. It can have its influential National Prayer Breakfast each February in Washington, or it can have its Anti-Homosexuality Bill become law in Uganda. It likely cannot have both. It would be naïve for this secretive and powerful organization to believe that it can turn Uganda into a concentration camp for gay and lesbian people without transforming its signature affair into a symbol of such oppression. It would be madness for The Family to think it can sell the loving Higher Path Jesus at their breakfast, while unleashing its anti-gay Psychopath Jesus in Kampala. If The Family does not kill the Anti- Homosexuality Bill before it becomes law, the cruel piece of legislation will end up killing The Family, by stripping it of its moral authority and tying its members to genocide. What respectable politician would want to attend an event marred by protests and hosted by human rights abusers? Last year, a prominent member of The Family, David Bahati, wrote and introduced The Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda’s Parliament. In Jeff Sharlet’s latest book, “C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy,” the bill’s author said he believes that homosexuality is worse than murder and calls it “a threat to our existence.” Aside from persecuting LGBT people and snuffing out their right to exist, the bill punishes anyone who offers support or friendship. Some of its provisions: Three years in prison for failure to report a gay person to authorities within 24-hours of disclosure; seven years in prison for “promotion,” which includes activism or simply acknowledging that homosexuality exists; life imprisonment for one homosexual act; and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” (which includes sex while HIV-positive, sex with a disabled person, or sex more than once, marking the person as a “serial offender”). The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was put on the backburner last year after the National Prayer Breakfast was protested. The efforts to shine a light on The Family’s activities led to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the bill at the event. Unfortunately, Bahati has revived the bill, claiming it will pass and “close the door to homosex.” Two weeks ago he made a trip to the United States to furtively rally support for his efforts. The Ugandan legislator says that he has strong support in America, but his prominent evangelical friends are afraid to publicly back him, because they fear reprisals. Indeed, Bahati believes he is vindicating his American friends who have lost the culture war against LGBT equality. The grand plan is for Uganda to be used as a proxy in a global war against homos e x u a l i t y. Once the bill passes in Uganda, the hope is to spread copycat bills throughout Africa. These conservative African nations can then be used as vivid examples to Western countries of how to re-stigmatize homosexuality. Of course, the larger utopian fantasy is to use homosexuality as a wedge issue to establish theocracies across the planet. We should take this effort very seriously and make it clear to The Family that there will be consequences for such bloodlust. A few of the options include: working to have Congress cut off all foreign aid to Uganda; large demonstrations at The National Prayer Breakfast; denying Ugandan officials visas to America; denying prominent members of The Family visas to Uganda; stripping David Bahati of his degrees at the University of Cardiff and the University of Pennsylvania; exploring efforts to prosecute Bahati, and others affiliated with this bill, for crimes against humanity; and a media campaign exposing The Family. Bahati justifies his planned purge by disguising it as a morality campaign to protect Ugandan children from predatory Western gay men. However, he has put forth no credible evidence to back his bizarre assertions, and all available information points to an eliminationist witch-hunt against innocent people. Bahati also rationalizes his cruelty by saying that Ugandans support his bill. Of course, the bill’s popularity and the demonization of LGBT people are only maintained through artificial means. To tar homosexuals as despised villains, Bahati and his goons have to create a repressive culture where free speech is stifled, LGBT people can’t come out, pro-gay allies are punished for “promoting” homosexuality, the media is cowed, and a robust smear campaign is relentlessly waged with no opposition. Incredibly, Bahati plays the imperialist card, arguing Americans should stay out of his nation’s business, even as he hypocritically does the bidding for American evangelicals that made his career. In the name of God, these thugs and theocrats are playing God with the lives of LGBT people across the globe. The only Family these tyrants remind me of is The Sopranos – except they are more sadistic. It is time civilized people stand up to such Bible-based barbarism before it is too late. A good place to start is at The National Prayer Breakfast. For more information, visit www.truthwinsout.org